Nelson Collins, have you seen Dan Curtis's version of "Dracula"? He brings the theme of a lost love reincarnated into the picture, so it's usually thought (by those familiar with Curtis' far superior version) that Coppola and Company took the idea from the TV-movie.
P.S. When I was researching a project in high school, I stumbled across a reference to a Sandor Petofi, whom IIRC, was also an artist. 1897 had just begun airing, and I thought it was a funny coincidence.